The invention relates to a drive and steering apparatus for an industrial truck with a drive wheel, which is rotatably suspended in a drive wheel suspension, which is swivel-mounted around a vertical axis, a steering device, which has a handlebar and a bearing component, which is swivel-mounted coaxially or axially parallel to the drive wheel suspension, and of a steering angle device, which has a sensor, which captures a differential angle between the drive wheel suspension and the bearing component, and a steering drive, with which the drive wheel suspension is pivotable as required by the measured differential angle.
Such a drive and steering apparatus is known from European patent EP 1 772 348 B1, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference. The case of the known apparatus, the sensor has a pinion gear and is swivel-mounted on an arm pretensioned by a spring on the bearing component. The spring pretensions the sensor with the pinion gear in the direction of a ring gear permanently arranged with respect to the drive wheel suspension. The pinion gear is rotated during a relative movement between the bearing component and the drive wheel suspension through the engagement between this ring gear and the pinion gear. The control device tracks the movement of the drive wheel suspension of a movement of the bearing component such that the differential angle assumes a zero value.
Assuming this, it is the object of the invention to provide a drive and steering apparatus for an industrial truck of the initially named type, which is constructed in a simpler and more compact manner, is easier to install and is more robust and insensitive to wear and dirt.